Esther Salifu
A Chinese citizen, Liu Beixiang popularly known as Lao Liu has been arraigned before the Federal High Court in Lagos on allegations of deliberately providing false information to an officer of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Liu appeared before Justice Ayokunle Faji on Monday, where the EFCC charged him with one count of knowingly supplying false information to a government official during official duties, an offence punishable under Section 16(1) of the EFCC Act, 2004.
The alleged incident occurred in December 2024, when Liu reportedly misled an EFCC officer while investigations were ongoing. Upon hearing the charge, the defendant entered a plea of not guilty.
Following his plea, EFCC’s prosecuting counsel, Babatunde Sonoiki, requested that Liu be remanded in a correctional facility pending trial and sought a future date to commence proceedings.
In response, Liu’s legal representative, F.A. Dalmeda, informed the court that the defense had submitted an application for a plea bargain to the EFCC. He also confirmed that a motion for bail had been filed and acknowledged the EFCC’s response earlier that day.
“We filed an application for a plea bargain, and we have also filed a motion for bail, which the EFCC responded to this morning,” Dalmeda told the court. “We need a date for us to report on the plea bargain.”
Justice Faji granted the request and adjourned the case until June 23, 2025 for a report on the plea bargain process. In the meantime, he ordered that Liu be remanded in a correctional facility.
